The Netherlands swept into their first European Championship quarter-final since 2008 as Donyell Malen scored twice in a 3-0 win over Romania in the last 16 on Tuesday. Cody Gakpo gave the Dutch an early lead but they were unable to convert pressure into a crucial second goal until the Liverpool forward set up Malen with seven minutes remaining in Munich.  Romania were gritty but out-classed, lacking the quality to punish their opponents’ profligacy before Malen added his second on the counter in stoppage-time. The victory put the Oranje on course for a quarter-final clash with Turkey or Austria, who beat the Netherlands in 3-2 in the group stage. 

“We played a good game. I’m very pleased. Especially after the last game we needed a reaction and today was a good step in the right direction,” Gakpo said.

“We talked a lot about the aggression, the intensity and defending like a team. It was a good step. 

“Sacrifice something for each other and work really hard to be at your best. Good game overall.”

Ronald Koeman’s side will need to improve their effectiveness in front of goal should they wish to emulate their manager, who was a player for the Dutch when they won the 1988 Euros on German soil.

Prior to the game, Netherlands’ captain Virgil van Dijk said his side lacked energy and the “will to win” in the loss to Austria.

But the Dutch were still strangely flat in the early stages despite Van Dijk’s rallying cry.

Group E winners Romania, whose 3-0 victory over Ukraine in their opening game, was just their second ever win in the Euros, pinned the Dutch back early. 

Romania went close when Dennis Man latched onto a superb diagonal ball from Nicolae Stanciu, but the Parma winger blasted over.

The Dutch broke Romania’s momentum shortly after when Gakpo got on the end of a sweeping move to open the scoring on 20 minutes.

Jerdy Schouten sliced a perfect, long pass through the midfield to Xavi Simons, who found Gakpo on the left flank. 

Gakpo eluded Andrei Ratiu and seemed to catch goalkeeper Florin Nita off-guard, blasting in at the near post. 

The goal ignited a period of Dutch dominance, Stefan de Vrij heading inches wide five minutes later. 

The Netherlands wasted a perfect chance to double their lead with half-time approaching when Denzel Dumfries picked Bogdan Racovitan’s pocket and found Simons, who got tangled up and failed to get a decent shot away.

Koeman’s team squandered an array of opportunities early in the second half.

Memphis Depay and van Dijk went agonisingly close before Gakpo’s second was ruled out by VAR for offside.

With every missed chance, the nerves in the Dutch camp seemed to grow, but Romania lacked the quality to truly punish them. 

Gakpo, the most impressive man in orange, took matters into his own hands with seven minutes remaining, dribbling through a crowded penalty area and finding Malen who tapped home. 

“We work very hard with each other to do our best and I’m happy I could assist Donnie with his goal today,” Gakpo said. 

With Romania launching a final attack, Malen broke through on the counter and slid the ball into the goal in the fourth minute of stoppage-time to seal the victory. 

Romania vs Netherlands Live Streaming Euro 2024 Round Of 16 Live Telecast: When And Where To Watch© AFP

With exciting football and vibrant fans lighting up cities across Germany, Euro 2024 has thrilled even though the European game’s biggest stars have failed to take the tournament by storm. Between injury struggles, shaky form and bad luck, many of football’s leading lights have underwhelmed in the group phase. Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo, playing at a record sixth Euros, is yet to strike in three appearances — if he manages to, the 39-year-old will become the oldest ever goalscorer at the tournament.

Arguably the best player in the world, Kylian Mbappe is only off the mark for France with a penalty against Poland in a disappointing 1-1 draw that resulted in the favourites finishing second in Group D.

Mbappe spurned a golden opportunity against Austria, missing a draw against the Netherlands with a broken nose before returning with a mask in Les Bleus’ third outing.

“He’s hungry to play and the game would have done him some good,” said France coach Didier Deschamps, hopeful the forward will quickly find his devastating best with a last 16 clash against Belgium beckoning.

Poland’s talisman Robert Lewandowski could not feature in their opening defeat against the Netherlands because of a thigh problem.

The Barcelona striker and his country were eliminated as he was ineffective when he came off the bench against Austria, before he netted a penalty in the France draw.

England duo Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scored from open play against Serbia and Denmark respectively but have vastly under-performed after thriving at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich this season.

England coach Gareth Southgate hooked Kane in a drab 1-1 draw against Denmark, but the subsequent 0-0 against Slovenia was even more dour.

“Not every player is going to star in every game,” said Southgate afterwards.

France’s Antoine Griezmann and England’s Phil Foden have also fired blanks after strong seasons for Atletico Madrid and Manchester City.

“Sometimes (Griezmann’s) generosity means he doesn’t have as clear a head as he should have,” said Deschamps, who benched the midfielder in the final group match.

Belgium’s all-time top scorer Romelu Lukaku is also without a goal, albeit not for want of trying, having had three disallowed by VAR as his team slunk through in second from Group E.

Veteran Luka Modric, 38, usually a key figure in Croatia’s frequently impressive exploits, did score against Italy but only after missing a penalty and struggling in the first two matches, with his country eventually eliminated.

Own goals galore

Remarkably there have been seven own goals, making up 26 percent of the 27 inadvertently netted in the competition’s history.

Even the players who have shone thus far have largely been surprises for one reason or another.

N’Golo Kante is proving key for France despite moving a year ago to play in Saudi Arabia, while talented youngster Jamal Musiala has been hosts Germany’s leading light ahead of veteran stars Toni Kroos, Ilkay Gundogan and Kai Havertz.

Target man Niclas Fullkrug has scored twice for Germany like Musiala, while Slovakia’s Ivan Schranz and Romania’s Razvan Marin also have a pair of goals to their name.

Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo finished neatly for his second goal in a 3-2 defeat by Austria, in a performance their coach Ronald Koeman labelled “appalling”.

The tournament’s current top scorer is debutants Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze with three goals, two of those from the penalty spot.

Spain qualified top of Group B with a game to spare and have arguably been the team of the tournament so far, but two of their key players have been unlikely candidates in Fabian Ruiz and Marc Cucurella.

With 15 matches still to play before one of the 16 remaining sides is crowned champions in Berlin on July 14, fans are still waiting for the tournament’s star names to join the party.

With exciting football and vibrant fans lighting up cities across Germany, Euro 2024 has thrilled even though the European game’s biggest stars have failed to take the tournament by storm. Between injury struggles, shaky form and bad luck, many of football’s leading lights have underwhelmed in the group phase. Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo, playing at a record sixth Euros, is yet to strike in three appearances — if he manages to, the 39-year-old will become the oldest ever goalscorer at the tournament.

Arguably the best player in the world, Kylian Mbappe is only off the mark for France with a penalty against Poland in a disappointing 1-1 draw that resulted in the favourites finishing second in Group D.

Mbappe spurned a golden opportunity against Austria, missing a draw against the Netherlands with a broken nose before returning with a mask in Les Bleus’ third outing.

“He’s hungry to play and the game would have done him some good,” said France coach Didier Deschamps, hopeful the forward will quickly find his devastating best with a last 16 clash against Belgium beckoning.

Poland’s talisman Robert Lewandowski could not feature in their opening defeat against the Netherlands because of a thigh problem.

The Barcelona striker and his country were eliminated as he was ineffective when he came off the bench against Austria, before he netted a penalty in the France draw.

England duo Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scored from open play against Serbia and Denmark respectively but have vastly under-performed after thriving at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich this season.

England coach Gareth Southgate hooked Kane in a drab 1-1 draw against Denmark, but the subsequent 0-0 against Slovenia was even more dour.

“Not every player is going to star in every game,” said Southgate afterwards.

France’s Antoine Griezmann and England’s Phil Foden have also fired blanks after strong seasons for Atletico Madrid and Manchester City.

“Sometimes (Griezmann’s) generosity means he doesn’t have as clear a head as he should have,” said Deschamps, who benched the midfielder in the final group match.

Belgium’s all-time top scorer Romelu Lukaku is also without a goal, albeit not for want of trying, having had three disallowed by VAR as his team slunk through in second from Group E.

Veteran Luka Modric, 38, usually a key figure in Croatia’s frequently impressive exploits, did score against Italy but only after missing a penalty and struggling in the first two matches, with his country eventually eliminated.

Own goals galore

Remarkably there have been seven own goals, making up 26 percent of the 27 inadvertently netted in the competition’s history.

Even the players who have shone thus far have largely been surprises for one reason or another.

N’Golo Kante is proving key for France despite moving a year ago to play in Saudi Arabia, while talented youngster Jamal Musiala has been hosts Germany’s leading light ahead of veteran stars Toni Kroos, Ilkay Gundogan and Kai Havertz.

Target man Niclas Fullkrug has scored twice for Germany like Musiala, while Slovakia’s Ivan Schranz and Romania’s Razvan Marin also have a pair of goals to their name.

Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo finished neatly for his second goal in a 3-2 defeat by Austria, in a performance their coach Ronald Koeman labelled “appalling”.

The tournament’s current top scorer is debutants Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze with three goals, two of those from the penalty spot.

Spain qualified top of Group B with a game to spare and have arguably been the team of the tournament so far, but two of their key players have been unlikely candidates in Fabian Ruiz and Marc Cucurella.

With 15 matches still to play before one of the 16 remaining sides is crowned champions in Berlin on July 14, fans are still waiting for the tournament’s star names to join the party.

The Round of 16 for Euro 2024 is set, as Georgia pulled off a stunning 2-0 victory over Portugal to become the final side to qualify. Spain, England and hosts Germany have finished first in their group, as expected. However, highly-fancied France could only qualify second from Group D, with Austria taking a surprise top spot. Slovenia, Netherlands, Slovakia and Georgia qualified as the four best third-placed teams, while Hungary and Croatia bowed out. Let’s look at a preview for all eight Round of 16 games:

Switzerland v Italy

Italy head into Saturday’s clash with Switzerland in Berlin still a work in progress after scraping into second place seconds before the end of their final Group B game with Croatia.

The defending champions will be wary of the Swiss, who will likely have four Serie A players in their starting line-up and showed in their 1-1 draw with Germany that they are perfectly capable of giving the big boys a bloody nose.

Germany v Denmark

Revitalised under Julian Nagelsmann, Germany have been alongside Spain the best team of the group stage and will rightly be considered favourites against Denmark, who laboured to second place in the dismal Group C behind England.

Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand said that his team always “step up” when facing the big nations but Germany will also have the backing of Dortmund’s famous Westfalenstadion on Saturday as they seek a record-breaking fourth Euros title.

England v Slovakia

England have had a soft landing against Slovakia on Sunday after topping Group C despite putting in three hugely disappointing displays against middling opposition.

Coach Gareth Southgate was pelted with plastic cups by frustrated fans after Tuesday’s goalless draw with Slovenia and performances will have to pick up if his team are to live up to their billing as one of the pre-tournament favourites.

Spain v Georgia

Luis de la Fuente’s side have been the most impressive team of the tournament so far after breezing through the supposedly tough Group B with a perfect nine points and a statement win over the Italians.

With almost their entire first XI, including star wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, rested in Monday’s 1-0 win over Albania, anything other than straightforward passage into the quarters for Spain would be a massive shock in Cologne on Sunday.

However Georgia are this tournament’s fairytale and showed by beating Portugal on Wednesday they can spring an upset.

France v Belgium

Possibly the most intriguing tie of the round sees two big teams yet to hit form face off in Dusseldorf on Monday.

France were unimpressive in qualifying in second place from Group D. Kylian Mbappe is the only player in Didier Deschamps’ side to score a goal and that strike came from the penalty spot in a 1-1 draw with already-eliminated Poland.

Belgium meanwhile have played well in bursts but were barracked by fans in Stuttgart on Wednesday after a safety-first approach against Ukraine saw them edge into the last 16 from Group E.

Portugal v Slovenia

Portugal will be heavy favourites to get past Slovenia in Frankfurt on Monday and coach Roberto Martinez will have a mostly rested first XI to call upon after making a raft of changes for Wednesday’s defeat to Georgia which made no difference to the Group F winners.

Slovenia didn’t impress in Group C, finishing third and scoring twice in three matches, but Matjaz Kek‘s team are unbeaten in nine games and beat Portugal 2-0 in a pre-tournament friendly.

Romania v Netherlands

The Dutch were hugely disappointing in Group D, finishing third behind Austria and France, and should be wary on Tuesday of Romania who are in the last 16 for the first time in 24 years after topping a tight Group E.

However Ronald Koeman, who called his team “appalling” after losing 3-2 to Austria, has been rewarded for their underwhelming displays by being placed on the easier side of the knockout bracket where off-colour England and an unsure Italy are the only heavyweights.

Austria v Turkey

Ralf Rangnick’s Austria have been given the dangerous tag of tournament dark horse after topping Group D ahead of France and the Dutch, playing some exciting football in the process. Tuesday’s match with Turkey in Leipzig promises to be an entertaining affair with Vincenzo Montella’s talented side being backed by huge support at every match.

Romania and Slovakia both qualified for the last 16 at Euro 2024 after a tense 1-1 draw in their last Group E game on Wednesday. Ondrej Duda put Slovakia ahead in the first half but Romania’s Razvan Marin equalised with a penalty before the interval. With all four teams in the group earning four points from their three games, Romania finished top having scored more goals than second-placed Belgium.  Slovakia went through in third place thanks to a superior goal difference to fourth-placed Ukraine.

It was a memorable moment for Romania, who are into the knockout stages of the Euros for the first time in 24 years.

Romania had only qualified once for the last 16 in their five Euro appearances, but Edward Iordanescu’s tenacious side have ended that long drought. They responded to Iordanescu’s pre-match challenge to make “history” with a combative display fuelled by their army of vociferous fans, who turned the stadium into a sea of yellow.

Slovakia are into the knockout stages of a major tournament for the third time. They reached the last 16 in the 2010 World Cup and made it to the same stage at Euro 2016.

Knowing a draw would send both teams through, cynics had suggested they would play out a mutually beneficial stalemate. But there was no sign of Romania settling for a point as they made a fast start.

They threatened an early goal when Andrei Ratiu’s stinging strike was pushed away by Martin Dubravka, with the rebound lashed wildly over by Ianis Hagi.

Romania mosh-pit

Marin smashed a free-kick narrowly wide from long range moments late as Romania looked to capitalise on their early dominance.

Slovakia were inches away from snatching the lead as Lukas Haraslin’s free-kick went through a crowd of players and almost crept in at the far post. It was a warning Romania failed to heed and Slovakia went in front in the 24th minute.

Juraj Kucka whipped in a deep cross that caught the Romania defence standing statuesque, leaving the unmarked Duda free to power his header past Florin Nita from eight yards.

Romania’s response was emphatic as they drew level in the 37th minute thanks to an incisive raid from the son of former Barcelona and Real Madrid star Gheorghe Hagi.

David Hancko’s foul on Hagi was adjudged a penalty by VAR after referee Daniel Siebert initially ruled the offence had taken place just outside the area.

Marin stepped up to drill the spot-kick high into the roof of the net to the deafening delight of the hordes of Romania fans who turned the arena into a frenzied mosh-pit.

The searing Frankfurt heat gave way to a heavy storm in the second half as thunder, lightning and rain swirled around the stadium. It was a suitably dramatic backdrop to a tense clash that was close to swinging Romania’s way when Marin forced a good save from Dubravka before Denis Dragus skimmed the roof of the net.

Haraslin’s curler flashed past the far post as the storm abated, but, while there was no winner, both sides ended up celebrating their progress to the knockout stage.

Slovakia vs Romania Live Streaming Euro 2024 Live Telecast: When And Where To Watch© AFP

Youri Tielemans breathed new life into Belgium’s Euro 2024 campaign as the Aston Villa midfielder’s goal after just 73 seconds inspired a vital 2-0 win against Romania on Saturday. Domenico Tedesco’s side would have been on the brink of elimination if they had suffered a second successive Group E defeat. But Tielemans’ second-minute strike in Cologne eased fears of yet another major tournament flop from star-studded Belgium. Kevin De Bruyne wrapped up the points in the closing stages to leave all four teams in the group level on three points.

The stage is set for a dramatic final round of fixtures in the battle to reach the last 16.

Belgium face Ukraine and Romania play Slovakia on June 26.

With 45 rungs separating the two nations in FIFA’s rankings, third-placed Belgium’s 1-0 loss to Slovakia on Monday was the biggest upset in European Championship history.

Romania, ranked in 47th place, competed gamely as they chased their own shock, but this time Belgium’s superior class proved decisive.

“I have the same feeling as against Slovakia: we played well but the difference is that we scored and won today,” said Belgium captain De Bruyne.

“We made a few mistakes and gave away a few chances, but we can be satisfied with our performance, both offensively and defensively.”

Having bowed out at the group stage of the 2022 World Cup and lost in the quarter-finals of the last two Euros, Belgium’s golden generation have given themselves fresh hope of finally delivering on their vast potential.

Romania had powered to a 3-0 win against Ukraine on Monday — their first victory in a major tournament since beating England at Euro 2000.

Despite this loss, Edward Iordanescu’s team are still in contention to make the Euro knockout stage for the first time in 24 years.

“We never gave up, we fought very hard. In the second half, we were better. With a bit of luck we could have got a point,” said Romania coach Iordanescu.

Belgium had failed to score in over 300 minutes at major tournaments since netting against Canada at the last World Cup.

They needed less than two minutes to end that drought.

Influential De Bruyne

A sweeping move climaxed when Jeremy Doku’s pass found Romelu Lukaku in the Romania penalty area and he laid the ball back to Tielemans, who smashed a powerful low strike past Florin Nita from the edge of the area.

Romania’s Tottenham defender Radu Dragusin went close to equalising moments later with a towering header that Koen Casteels tipped over at full stretch.

After an injury-plagued season with Manchester City, in which he failed to reach his usual sky-high standards, De Bruyne had looked below his best against Slovakia.

The Belgium captain was far more influential this time, with a lung-bursting surge that ended with a pass to Dodi Lukebakio, whose strike was pushed away by Nita.

Doku was denied by another good stop from Nita after wriggling through the over-worked Romania defence.

Valentin Mihaila wasted a golden opportunity to equalise soon after half-time, pouncing on Amadou Onana’s wayward pass and sprinting clear, only to blaze high into the stands.

De Bruyne was moving through the gears ominously, curling just past the far post from 20 yards, then drawing a smart save from Nita with a shot on the turn.

Lukaku had two goals, including a late equaliser, disallowed by VAR against Slovakia.

The striker was denied by VAR again in the 63rd minute when he converted De Bruyne’s pass before being ruled narrowly offside.

Romania nearly profitted from that escape as Dennis Man raced clear, but couldn’t find the accuracy to beat Casteels.

De Bruyne finally delivered the knockout blow in the 80th minute, running onto Casteels’ long punt and firing past Nita.

“You saw a team with lots of quality, they have speed, they have explosion, power. They are a complete team. They are a candidate to win the title,” Iordanescu said of Belgium.

Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne during Belgium’s 1-0 loss to Slovakia in UEFA Euro 2024.© AFP